News
Six Die In Kano Blasts
A twin blast that simultaneously rock a Catholic Church and police checkpoint in Kano metropolis yesterday claimed the lives of a soldier, a suicide bomber and four others.
The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Adelanre Shinaba told newsmen in Kano that the attack on Saint Charles’ Catholic Church located at Zungeru Road, Sabon Gari, Kano occurred shortly after the Sunday mass when an object suspected to be Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was thrown at the church from the opposite direction.
Shinaba explained that the impact left a soldier on duty dead, while four others that include a toddler, two women and a man, instantly dead.
The police commissioner disclosed that eight other worshippers sustained various degrees of injury during the attack.
He revealed that three suspects were arrested at the scene of the blast, pointing out that investigation has already commenced to ascertain their level of complicity.
In another attack, yesterday, the police boss further revealed that a 15-year old female suicide bomber blew up herself at a police nipping point leaving five personnel injured.
Shinaba said that the incident occurred at Gidan Murtala by Kofar Nassarawa overhead bridge around 1.00pm, adding that four of the affected officers have been treated and discharged.
The police boss disclosed that two suspects were also arrested in connection with the prime vehicle abandoned at Isyaku Rabiu mosque earlier in the day.
He appealed to the citizens to be extra vigilant and report suspicious movements and persons to security agents for prompt action.
Similarly, a female suicide bomber yesterday, blew herself up outside a university in Kano, after they prevented her from carrying out an attack, injuring five officers, police said.
“A female suicide bomber was isolated as she was walking towards the gate of the university,” said police spokesman, Frank Mba, adding that she had hidden the bomb under her “long black hijab”.
“Police on duty isolated her” because she was behaving strangely, Mba said.
They were about to ask a woman colleague to frisk the woman when she detonated the bomb, killing herself and injuring the five police officers, he said.
However, the Emir of Kano State, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has cancelled Eid festivities marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan next week after a deadly church bombing and a female suicide bomber’s attempt to attack a university, an official said yesterday.
A statement issued by the Emir reads: “Given the critical situation we are in, the Royal Highness, Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi) has suspended all festivities associated with the eminence, including the Durbar and other traditional events that are held during the Eid festival,” an aide to the emir, Aminu Ado Bayero, told newsmen.
Meanwhile, the Kano State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has exempted medical doctors working in the surgery department of the Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, Kano, from the ongoing strike following last Wednesday’s bomb blasts in the state.
This is because majority of those admitted at the hospital in the wake of the attacks suffered serious injuries.
Kano State Chairman of the association, Dr Sharfuddeen Mashi told newsmen that the decision was in line with the position of their national body which resolved that wherever a case of natural or man-made disaster occurred as in the case of a bomb blast, medical doctors in the affected area should suspend action over a specified period to save lives.
He added that similar gesture has been extended to medical doctors at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Kano, and some local government councils in the state as a result of the cholera outbreak in their areas.
“They are exempted from the industrial action so as to attend to patients until such a time when the outbreak has been brought under control”, he added.
Nonetheless, the Kano State Government has announced the outbreak of cholera in a total of 11 local government councils in the state.
Acting Director, Public Health and Disease Control in the Kano State Ministry of Health, Alhaji Tijjani Useni, at a press conference, confirmed the outbreak in the state, saying the disease had killed six persons while about 116 cases have been recorded across the state.
He said the affected local governments, located outside the metropolitan area, are Wudil, Gaya, Sumaila, Tudum Wada, Doguwa, among others.
The official said government has intensified efforts to control the outbreak, adding that they have purchased emergency drugs for the treatment and conducted a rapid assessment of the situation in the high-burden local government councils.
Similarly, five people were Killed after a bomb was thrown into the premises of St. Charles Catholic Church in Sabongari Area of Kano Sunday.
Confirming the incident, Nigeria Police public relations officer, Frank Mba, said an attacker threw the bomb into the church premises soon after the end of the church service.
Meanwhile, vigilant security agents were able to prevent an earlier bombing after noticing the suspicious move of a woman suicide bomber who attempted to detonate bomb at Kofar Nasarawa also in Kano.
According to Kano state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Magaji Musa Majiya the woman suicide bomber looked confused while asking for directions from passersby, adding that her suspicious behaviour caught the attention of the security agents.
The suicide bomber lost her life in the process.
Earlier on Sunday, the police had discovered bomb explosives at the second largest Eid prayer ground in Kano.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled attempts by drug trafficking syndicates to smuggle illicit substances concealed in carton walls, winter jackets, and body cream containers through Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a Lagos-based courier firm.
The agency said two consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of suspects linked to the shipments.
In a statement released yesterday, the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said one of the suspects, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was intercepted on Friday, March 20, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome, Italy.
The statement partly read, “Two of the consignments heading to Italy were to be moved through the Lagos airport where two suspects linked to the shipments were promptly arrested.
“One of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was going to Rome, Italy on Friday, March 20, 2026, when he was intercepted while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in containers of skin-lightening body cream, all packed in the suspect’s luggage.
“In his statement, Ehianuka, who is a resident of Milan, confirmed that he was to be paid a negotiated fee in Euros if he had succeeded in trafficking the consignment to Italy.”
In another operation on Wednesday, March 18, Babafemi said NDLEA officers at the departure hall intercepted another passenger, Christian Agbonhese, attempting to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan.
A search of his luggage uncovered 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg, 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg, and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg concealed in two large winter jackets.
“No fewer than 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg; 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg; and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg, all concealed in two large winter jackets, bringing the total number of opioids recovered from him to 28,470 pills. The 38-year-old Agbonhese is also a resident of Milan,” the statement added.
In a separate operation at a courier firm in Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA officers on Monday, March 16, intercepted two parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, hidden in a carton shipped from the United States.
“Also thwarted was an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the walls of a carton to New Zealand,” he said.
In Kano State, operatives arrested Abdulkadir Mamuda, 35, with 102.5kg of skunk at Dan-Tsalle, while another suspect, Uche Johnson Festus, 47, was nabbed at Naibawa Gabas with 95.5kg of the same substance.
Babafemi said the agency also recovered 21,737 bottles of codeine-based syrup during a raid at Otto, Ijora area of Lagos on Wednesday, March 18, adding that two suspects, Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara, were arrested the same day on the Third Mainland Bridge while conveying 8,380 bottles of the syrup.
In Edo State, operatives recovered 97.5kg of skunk from the residence of Akeem Idde, 37, in Ojah, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area on March 16.
In the FCT, officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Gwagwalada Expressway on March 18, recovering 91,840 pills of tramadol hidden in body compartments of the vehicle. The driver, Aminu Ali, 27, was arrested.
In Oyo State, a suspect, Bankole Bari, was on Tuesday, March 17, arrested at Oke-Oyan, Ibarapa LGA, with 71.2kg of skunk, which he smuggled into Nigeria from Benin Republic through the Oyan River.
In a similar development, “Not less than 586,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 were recovered by NDLEA operatives from Lawal Anas, 28, along Kaduna-Zaria Highway, Kaduna, on Tuesday, March 17, while 7,290 tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from Musa Shuaibu, 22, at the same location on Friday, March 20,” Babafemi said.
In Taraba State, officers intercepted Aliyu Adamu, 26, along the Takum-Jalingo Highway with 77,660 capsules of tramadol, while in Adamawa State, six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8kg of tramadol in a truck in Yola.
The suspects include Ramatu Aliyu, Jungudo Abdullahi, Najid Abdullahi, Musa Mohammed, Usman Abdulrahim, and Musa Mohammed.
The agency said its commands across the country also intensified War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, and communities during the week.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the MMIA, DOGI, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, FCT, Taraba, and Adamawa commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain the balanced approach to drug control efforts.
News
RSG Applauds FRSC, NDLEA For Enhancing Security In Rivers …As NDLEA Pushes For Drug Tests In Schools, NYSC Camps
The Rivers State Government has commended the dedication and collaboration of federal government agencies in sustaining security in the State.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the State Commander of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), CN Bature Dawa, in Port Harcourt, last week, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Dagogo Wokoma, said Governor Siminalayi Fubara appreciates the strong synergy between the agencies in promoting his administration’s vision of peace, prosperity and progress in the State.
Wokoma urged residents to remain law-abiding, noting that respect for the law is essential for good governance and sustainable development in all parts of the state.
He stated that the governor has remained committed to initiatives that promote peace and social order, stressing that the administration will continue to support programmes of federal agencies aimed at strengthening security and public safety.
“Our governor is committed to peace, progress and prosperity in Rivers State. I therefore encourage all residents, especially young people who are often targeted by those involved in drug abuse, to stay away from drugs, crime and reckless driving,” he said.
In his remarks, the State NDLEA boss, Dawa, disclosed that the agency has arrested 39 suspects in the state from December 2025 to date, including 16 new cases currently under investigation.
He explained that the NDLEA, through its Drug Demand Reduction and Drug Supply Control Units, has intensified efforts to curb the spread of illicit drugs and ensure offenders are brought to justice.
Dawa also called on parents and guardians to closely monitor their children, while urging hotel owners and managers to remain vigilant and prevent their facilities from being used for drug-related activities.
He further advocated the introduction of drug integrity tests in schools and within the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme as part of measures to discourage drug abuse among young people.
In a related development, Dr Wokoma received the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), CC Inyang Umoh, during a courtesy visit, and urged residents to abide by road safety laws and drive in consideration of other road users.
In his remarks, the FRSC boss expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the continuous support to the Corps.
Muslims in Rivers State have commended Governor Siminialayi Fubara for his dedication and commitment to the development of the state.
They also lauded the governor for promoting peaceful co-existence among various religious groups in the state.
Vice President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs ,Alhaji Nasil Awhelegbe Uhor, gave the commendation last Friday during the Eid-el Fitri prayer to mark the end of Ramadan fasting period, at the Port Harcourt Central Mosque, Niger Street, Port Harcourt.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the prayer, Alhaji Uhor said Governor Fubara has shown exemplary leadership in the affairs of the state.
Uhor who is the leader of the South South Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, called on Muslims to remain committed to the ideal of peace and fear of the Almighty Allah.
According to the Rivers State Islamic leader, the message is for Muslims to imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink into their lives and shape their ways of doing things.
He urged Muslims to imbibe the culture of love and respect for one another.
“My message is that all Muslims should imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink with them,” he advised.
Uhor stressed the need for Muslims and all Nigerians to remain patriotic, while avoiding all forms of anti-social behaviours.
He also called on the political leaders to put the country first, stressing that there is no need for Nigerians to continue to wallow in abject poverty when the country is so rich with natural resources.
Also speaking, the Chief Imam of Rivers State, Alhaji Ibrahim S Yalo, urged Muslims to fear God, and speak the truth always.
According to him, time has come for Nigerians to cultivate the habit of peaceful coexistence, speak the truth and be each others keeper.
“Nigerians own a duty to ensure peace, live together in fear of God and speak the truth always,” he said.
By: John Bibor
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